Akira Kurosawa's fifteenth film, and considered his most dominate, Seven Samurai is a sprawling epic. He has been considered one of the greatest directors of all time by many. With such films as Rashomon, Ran and Yojimbo, any negativity is righteously fought against. And so that is why I'm a little ashamed of myself for not delving into the grandeur of such critical acclaim sooner. Seven Samurai is obviously inspiration for most epics that followed it, with such strategic action sequences and a wonderful build-up.
After hearing a plan by bandits to attack his village, a peasant informs the others. Many of the men and women are frightened, but The Old Man of the village gives them hope--a plan to find samurai willing enough to fight for their village with the reward of food. A couple find this idea to be a waste of precious time, because most know the samurai to be ignorant with power, but they give it a second thought.
When struggling with a few, they come across a man brave and willing enough to save a child from a thief for only a couple of rice patties. This samurai accepts their offer, and helps the peasants scavenge for more. About forty minutes is spent finding the right men for their battle, and, surprisingly, this whole event is rather interesting, involving many excellent and eccentric characters.
After finding seven samurai, the rest of the adventure picks up with strategizing their battle plan. I must say, some of it lags along--and I mean this in the most respectful way--like most epics. Though every scene is a necessity, a portion of it ventures into the characteristics of the many--and I mean many--characters. And this is where the excitement slightly falters. But Seven Samurai travels along at a faster pace around the 80 minute mark.
Here, the characters become quite a bit more compelling. Their bravery is scented very gradually as the film delves into less of the up-coming battle and more of the present situation. And puts more time into the emotional structor of the men fighting for the village, instead of the inhabitants of it. Which this is both a plus and a minus, because I'm always willing to see some sociological frustration and differentiation from a group of people, maybe to start some enthralling feud, but the former is most likely a more reasonable way to attack things.
Akira Kurosawa's directing is, of course, flawless. He creates an emotionally attentive aesthetic that couldn't have been mastered by anyone else. And the atmospherical score by Fumio Hayasaka collaborates remarkably with Kurosawa's picturesque vision. Being made in 1954, there were more restraints for a director in japan than, say, Hollywood. But the restraints seem not to even be present, incredibly so. The film is 206 minutes long, and features an intermission (That would be cool to have those know-a-days), but flows so quickly and smoothly. With so many sequences and characters, this would have been such a hassle, and could really put strain on a director, but Kurosawa shows absolutely none.
I'm glad I have finally entered the world of Akira Kurosawa, and I think I might visit it again with Rashomon and Ran soon. Seven Samurai deserves every bit of praise it gets, with a welcoming ending battle and an excellent cast. If you haven't seen this, or are waiting to because of its incredible length, I recommend get to it as soon as possible
After hearing a plan by bandits to attack his village, a peasant informs the others. Many of the men and women are frightened, but The Old Man of the village gives them hope--a plan to find samurai willing enough to fight for their village with the reward of food. A couple find this idea to be a waste of precious time, because most know the samurai to be ignorant with power, but they give it a second thought.
When struggling with a few, they come across a man brave and willing enough to save a child from a thief for only a couple of rice patties. This samurai accepts their offer, and helps the peasants scavenge for more. About forty minutes is spent finding the right men for their battle, and, surprisingly, this whole event is rather interesting, involving many excellent and eccentric characters.
After finding seven samurai, the rest of the adventure picks up with strategizing their battle plan. I must say, some of it lags along--and I mean this in the most respectful way--like most epics. Though every scene is a necessity, a portion of it ventures into the characteristics of the many--and I mean many--characters. And this is where the excitement slightly falters. But Seven Samurai travels along at a faster pace around the 80 minute mark.
Here, the characters become quite a bit more compelling. Their bravery is scented very gradually as the film delves into less of the up-coming battle and more of the present situation. And puts more time into the emotional structor of the men fighting for the village, instead of the inhabitants of it. Which this is both a plus and a minus, because I'm always willing to see some sociological frustration and differentiation from a group of people, maybe to start some enthralling feud, but the former is most likely a more reasonable way to attack things.
Akira Kurosawa's directing is, of course, flawless. He creates an emotionally attentive aesthetic that couldn't have been mastered by anyone else. And the atmospherical score by Fumio Hayasaka collaborates remarkably with Kurosawa's picturesque vision. Being made in 1954, there were more restraints for a director in japan than, say, Hollywood. But the restraints seem not to even be present, incredibly so. The film is 206 minutes long, and features an intermission (That would be cool to have those know-a-days), but flows so quickly and smoothly. With so many sequences and characters, this would have been such a hassle, and could really put strain on a director, but Kurosawa shows absolutely none.
I'm glad I have finally entered the world of Akira Kurosawa, and I think I might visit it again with Rashomon and Ran soon. Seven Samurai deserves every bit of praise it gets, with a welcoming ending battle and an excellent cast. If you haven't seen this, or are waiting to because of its incredible length, I recommend get to it as soon as possible
